Over the years there has been an evolution of protective garments. In the distant past there were protective armor garments that were both solid and jointed to permit some flexibility for movement. Such garments were relatively effective against missiles such as knives, spears, arrows and the like. However, these types of protective garments were disrcarded with the advent of firearms. These garments when constructed to be able to protect against firearms became too heavy, cumbersome and unwieldy.
In the past, strong aramid fibers and other similar fibers were developed which could be woven into a ballistic resistant cloth used to make protective garments capable of stopping various ballistic missiles such as bullets, shot, shell fragments, trauma and cutting instruments. Such garments are worn by police force personnel, military personnel and others who are potentially subjected to this type of deadly force. However, there has historically been heavy resistance in wearing these garments since they are relatively heavy, unwieldy and often times difficult to conceal.
In recent history, ballistic resistant garments have been developed which have enhanced characteristics of wearability and concealability. Such garments generally must contain improved balances of light weight, thin-ness, and flexibility to improve wearability and concealability, thereby improving end-user safety by increasing the likelihood that the protective garment will be worn.
However, improving wearability by reducing weight and improving thin-ness and flexibility without loss in needed ballistic performance has not been easy for the armor industry. Although much progress has been made on the performance side, that progress has been severely hampered by certain conditions of the controversial voluntary National Institute of Justice STD 0101.03 ("03"). This "03" standard specifies conditions for laboratory testing that cause lighter, thinner and more flexible designs to experience what are known as "bunching and balling" and/or "shifting". These problems in the laboratory test frequently lead to unpredictable and unrealistic "failures" in the laboratory which are not indicative of armor field performance on a dynamic, elastic human torso.
The repetitive multi-hit, multi-angle protocol of "03" which is shot on inelastic modeling clay can disadvantageously cause severe uncontrolled "bunching and balling" of the anti-ballistic pac, with resultant disorientation and separation of the ballistic layers. This can lead to uncontrolled and unrealistic loss of ballistic integrity and "penetration failure" in the laboratory.
The repetitive multi-hit, multi-angle protocol of "03" which is shot on inelastic modeling clay can also disadvantageously cause "shifting" of the anti-ballistic pac inside its removable carrier in a way that results in a "fair hit" shot striking the carrier in the correct place but missing, or barely grazing, the anti-ballistic pac. This too can result in a "penetration failure" even though the bullet may have never struck the anti-ballistic part.
Indeed "03" testing ballisticians are taught to do their best to create either "bunching or balling" or "shifting" failures during NIJ "03" certification testing.
Because of these problems thick, heavy, stiff and less wearable designs are much easier to pass through certification testing than light, thin, soft, flexible more wearable designs. This is true even though the lighter, thinner, softer and more wearable design might have equivalent or even higher actual ballistic stopping power as evidenced by scientifically reproducible V-50 Ballistic Limit tests (such as those used for research, development, old used vest studies and the world's military specifications).
In 1993, a revolutionary new ballistic resistant garment was developed that is now known as the MONARCH.RTM. (trademark of Second Chance Body Armor, Inc., Central Lake, Mich.). MONARCH.RTM. technology successfully reduced weight by 12-18% and improved thin-ness by about 20% while maintaining so much flexibility that the vest could literally be balled up in the end-user's hands. This so-called "fourth generation" technology involves revolutionary self-reinforcing fabrication techniques that resist "bunching and balling" and "shifting" in the laboratory during NIJ "03" certification testing without sacrificing softness and flexibility--i.e. improved wearability. These techniques are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,659 issued Jan. 2, 1996 to Bachner Jr.
Since 1993, the MONARCH.RTM. vest has become the "wearability standard". However, it has been learned that further improvements in wearability to fifth, sixth and/or seventh generations are required to off-set the problems in the flawed NIJ "03" laboratory test methods. Therefore, there is a need in the art for new and improved securement techniques which improve ballistic materials and produce further improvements in wearability while still successfully completing the NIJ "03" test protocol.